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Massachusetts Health Insurance

The good news regarding Massachusetts health insurance is that most state residents are already covered. Why? You can’t legally live in Massachusetts without having Massachusetts health insurance. Surprisingly there is a current population of over 6,000,000 and approximately 323,031 people without health insurance. What is the state secret?

Massachusetts Health Insurance Is State Law!

That’s right. It’s state law that every adult must have health insurance, and they must provide proof of it on their state income tax. This health insurance reform law went into effect July 1, 2007. Failure to provide proof of insurance currently results in the loss of your personal exemption, and later it will be a fine up to one half the cost of the cheapest policy through the commonwealth connection. Since this law went into effect 340,000 people have purchased medical insurance.

Not only do you have to have health insurance, but you are required to carry minimum health insurance, much like you are required to carry minimum auto insurance. Minimum coverage must include:

Prescription drugs with a prescription deductible cap of $5,000 per individual and $10,000 per family.

3 regular doctors visits a year per person (6 for a family) before deductibles.

A deductible cap of $2,000 per individual and $4,000 per family.

Massachusetts Health Insurance Reform

The state of Massachusetts doesn’t expect individuals to pay for health insurance all on their own. They expect employers to help. The reform has called for a few things in addition to making health insurance required by state law.

Employers with 11 or more employees are expected to contribute a fair and reasonable amount toward health benefits.

Employers are expected to make a section 125 plan available to everyone. This allows both the employer and the employee to take insurance premiums out pre-tax giving both the business and the individual tax breaks.

The health insurance reform law has made more people eligible for Medicaid and has provided better rates for Medicaid providers.

The Commonwealth Health Connector has been created with the purpose of setting standards for health insurance coverage, help employers and individuals get more affordable health insurance and provide low or no cost insurance to those who are qualified.

Mandatory Massachusetts Health Insurance: A Healthy State

Currently Massachusetts is ranked as the 9th healthiest state to live in. Ironically, since instituting the health care reform it has fallen from its previous spot as the 7th healthiest state in the nation. So what has insurance improved, and where does it fall short.

What the state has going for it is a high rate of immunizations in children, low number of obese citizens and easy access to primary care with 92.3% of the population able to get health care when needed.

On the other side of the coin there is a high violent crime rate, a high rate of preventable hospitalizations and a high prevalence of binge drinking.

What To Do If You Don’t Have Massachusetts Health Insurance

For those few who are still uninsured in the state of Massachusetts, there are many options. If you can’t afford health insurance, Commonwealth Health Care can help. Commonwealth Health Care is for the uninsured that meet income guidelines.

Plans are available through BMC Healthnet, Fallon Community Health Plan, Neighborhood Health Plan and Network Health. Each company offers different plans and each plan’s deductibles, co-pays and premiums are based on income. However, each meets the minimum health insurance guidelines.

For everyone else there is Commonwealth Choice. These are plans that are offered through Massachusetts health insurance companies in conjunction with the Health Connector. This means that you are getting a policy that the Health Connector helped put together and at somewhat lower rates that the Health Connector helped negotiate.

These plans are through:

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

Fallon Community Health

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care

Health New England

Neighborhood Health Plan

Tufts

These Massachusetts health insurance companies still offer their standard policies if you do not want a Commonwealth Choice health plan and there are also a number of other Massachusetts health insurance companies that offer policies.

Start Shopping For Massachusetts Health Insurance Quotes Now!

If you don’t have Massachusetts health insurance it could cost you up to $913 a year in fines. Start your search today, right here on our website.

We have provided an easy to use tool at the top of the page that will allow you to compare policies side by side from top Massachusetts health insurance companies. Why not start now?